Flashlight with movable varicolored light filter



A ril 1, 1952 N. D. GHEORGHIU FLASHLIGHT WITH MOVABLE VARICOLORED LIGHT FILTER 2 SHEETS-SHEET 1 Filed Aug. 5, 1949 m'C/yoma'heo'l hzzl A ttorney 7 April 1, 1952 N. D. GHEORGHIU FLASHLIGHT WITH MOVABLE VARICOLORED LIGHT FILTER 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2 Filed Aug. 5, 1949 A Horney Patented Apr. 1, 1952 2,591,419 OFFICE FLASHLIGHT WITH MOVABLE VARI- COLORED LIGHT FILTER Nicholas D. Gheorghiu, New York, N. Y.

Application August 5, 1949, Serial No. 108,762

2 Claims.

This invention relates to a novel construction of flashlight by which light rays of various colors may be emitted therefrom by a manual manipulation of a movable light filter or screen.

More particularly, it is an aim of the present invention to provide a flashlight which is very small and compact and which is constructed similar to a small collapsible type camera.

Still a further object of the invention is to provide a flashlight having a removeable battery, reflector and light bulb containing section to enable the quick and easy replacement of the battery or lamp bulb and which is provided with an electric circuit of extremely simple construction for energizing and de-energizing the light source.

Still a further object of the invention is to provide a flashlight having rollers journalled adjacent the ends thereof for movably supporting an endless member composed of transparent and translucent sections of various colors and which may be manually manipulated for positioning either a clear section of said endless member or a section of any desired color in front of the light source of the flashlight so that the light rays emitted therefrom will be colored to correspond to the color of the section of the endless member disposed over said light source.

Various other objects and advantages of the invention will hereinafter become more fully apparent from the following description of the drawings, illustrating a presently preferred embodiment thereof, and wherein:

Figure 1 is a front elevational view of the novel flashlight;

Figure 2 is an edge elevational view thereof looking from right to left of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is an enlarged central sectional view of the flashlight taken substantially along a plane as indicated by the line 3-3 of Figure 4;

,Figure 4 is a longitudinal sectional view of the flashlight taken substantially along a plane as indicated by the line 4-4 of Figure 3;

Figure 5 is a cross sectional view thereof taken substantially along a plane as indicated by either the line 5-5 of Figure 1 or Figure 4; r

Figure 6 is a plan view partly broken away showing the removeable section of the flashlight;

Figure 7 is a plan view showing the endless member for filtering the light rays and illustrating said member as ,it would appear in an extended position;

Figure 8 is a diagrammatic view of the electric circuit of the flashlight, and

Figure 9 is a fragmentary plan view of a portion of the inner side of said endless member.

Referring more specifically to the drawings, the novel flashlight in its entirety and comprising the invention is designated generally ID and includes an elongated case which is relatively thin and shaped similar to a collapsible type camera. Said case, designated generally II, includes a top wall I2, a. bottom wall I 3, a rear wall 14, side walls l5 and I6 and a hinged front wall I! which is hinged at l8 along one side edge thereof and which is provided with a spring latch [9 which projects from the other free side edge thereof for detachably engaging a stationary detent on the outer side of the wall IS. The case H is provided with longitudinally spaced partitions 2| which are suitably secured to the side walls I5 and I6 and which are spaced from the rear wall l4 and hinged front wall H, for a purpose which will hereinafter become apparent. The partitions 2| divide the case into corresponding upper and lower compartments 22 and 23, respectively, and a larger intermediate compartment 24. The side Walls 15 and I6 support bearings 25 which extend into the compartments 22 and 23 for journalling the end portions of shafts 2B, the intermediate portions of which extend through and are secured centrally in rollers 21, one of which is mounted rotatably in each of the compartments 22 and 23. The rollers 21 have an endless screen 28 trained thereover including sections 29, 30 and 31 of different colors, preferably red, blue and green, and a transparent or clear section 32. Said screen 28 passes through the compartment 24 adjacent its front and rear wall and has the flights thereof disposed, beyond the side edges of the partitions 2!, as best illustrated in Figure 3.

The side wall I6 is provided with a relatively large opening 33 for receiving a removeable section 34 which is removeably mounted in and sub stantially fills the intermediate compartment 24 and which is provided with a flanged end 35 which is disposed externally of the side wall l6 and by which the section 34 can be grasped for removing it from the compartment 24, The section 34 contains a projection 36, which releasably engages a depression 31 in the upper partition 2| for releasably latching said section in a fully inserted position in the compartment 24. The section 34 is closed except for the opposite, inner open end 38 thereof and is sized to contain a relatively large, substantially flat dry cell battery 39 which fills substantially one-half thereof and which extends from end-to-end of the section 34. A reflector 40 is disposed in the other half of the section 34 and is mounted at its open end in an opening 4| of the front wall 42 of the removeable section 34. The reflector 4|] has an internally threaded bore 43 into which is threaded the base 44 of a light bulb 45 which is disposed in the reflector 40. A strip of electrical insulating material 46 is suitably fastened to and extends along the inner side of the front wall 42 and has one end thereof extending behind the reflector 40 and which is provided with an opening 41, as seen in Figure 5, to receive the end contact 43 of the light bulb 45. A strip of electrical conducting material 49 is suitably secured to the exposed side of the insulating strip 43 and has one end thereof disposed over the opening 41 and in contact with the contact 48 of the bulb 45. The opposite ends of the insulating strip 46 and conductor strip 49 extend transversely across the "ducto'r strips 49 and 52. switch 54 is slidably mounted in an elongated opening 55 of thejtop wall I2 so that an internally disposed'portion, 56 thereof may be moved into or out of electrical contactwith one end of the open end'SSnf-the section 34 to engage one of the contacts 50 of the battery 39. The other ccn-.

tact 5| of the battery 39 engages a conductor strip 52 of electrical conducting material which is secured to a strip of electrical insulating ma terial 53 and retained thereby outof contactwith the case I I, said strip 53 and the conductor strip across a portion of the top wall I2 of the, case H, as seen in Figure 4. The battery contacts 50 and 5| are formed of spring metal and are thereby yieldablyretained inengagement with the con- A'manually actuated strip 52 for energizing or'de-energig;ing, respectively,'the light bulb 45, as will hereinafter be more fuIIydescribed.

' 52 extending upwardly along the sidewall l5 and The hinged'front wall n is provided with an opening -5'|.containing a-lens 5,8- which is dis- .poseddirectly in front of the reflector and as seen in Figures 3 and 5,the endless'screen or light filter '28 has a portion disposed'between the reflector and lens.

I'One end ofithe'shaft 26 'of the upper roller 27 projects outwardly from the sidewall l6 :and has a turning knob 59 'securedthereto. A carrying handle filL forine'd of a flexible material such as the opening 133" and lat'ched4in=ari. applied position by the portions 36 and 37.

Various modifications and changes are contemplated andmayobviously be resorted to, without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention ,as hereinafter defined by the appended claims.

I claim asmy invention: l. A flashlight comprising an elongated, relatively flat case having a top wall, a bottom wall, 7

a front wall, a rear wall and side walls, partitions extendingbetween said side walls and spaced from the frontan'd rear walls and dividingthe case into upper, "lower .andintermediate compartments, a roller ijournall'ediiyeach of said upper and lower compartments fan .iendless .light filter or screen trained over said rollers anclextending along the front and 'rearwalls .on-sthe inner sides there'of and having' longitudinally spaced translucent sections of different colors and 'a transparent section, oneio'f said 1 side walls J having an, opening communicating"withxthe intermediate compartment, a section removeably a strip of leather, is fastened at its ends by fastenings 6| to 'the top wall I2 to provide an externally Idisposed handreceiving loop which is preferably positioned over the switch 54.

From the foregoing it will be readily apparent that when the switch 54 is moved from right to leftv ofFigure 4 to make electrical contact be tween its portion 56 and the conductor strip 62 the-,current'w'ill flow from the battery 39.110 the light bulb for energizing said bulb, as illustrateddiagrammatically in. Figure 8, the, case l6 forming a ground between the switch 54 and the flight-bulb base Althrough-the reflector 49 and r the wall- '82, both of which parts and the case are of-electrical conducting material. :The light .rays from the bulb '45 will-,beaemitted through the (screen'or filter 28; and lens 58 and'wil1 be colored impassing through'the screen or filter 28 when 7 one of the-sections 29,39 or 3! thereof is disposed inf-ront of the reflector'or will be uncolored if the -clear section 32 is positioned in front ofthe reflector. By manually turningthe knobt59, the

upper iro'ller,2'l will be revolved for'moving'the endless filter or screen 28,'the lower rollerZTbe- 'ing revolved thereby as an idler, so that any one "o'f thezsections29, 39f3| 01'92 thereof may be po'sitionedin front of the 'light'bulb. It will also be readily apparent thatthe endless filter or screen '28 could'be provided withadditional secpose the interiorof the flashlight IE) but this is unnecessary for replacin'gthe battery or lamp bulb which is readily accomplished by merely withdrawing the section from the center compartment 24 so'that thebattery'and lamp bulb can be quickly and easily removed and replaced afterwhichthe section-94 is re-applied through positioned in'said intermediate compartment and constituting a container having an open end disposed adjacentthe other side wall of the case when said section is in a fully applied position, a dry cell battery mounted' in saidcontain'ersection, a reflector mountedin the container'section and opening outwardly ofone-wall thereof and toward the front wall of the case, said frontwall having an opening provided with a lens disposed in front of said reflector, a light bulb mounted in the reflector, a conductor strip engaging one contact of the light bulb-and one contact of the-battery' and supported by the container section-and insulated therefrom, a manually actuated switch slidably mounted onsaidcase and in electrical contact with the other contact'ofthe' light bulb.

a conductor strip supported within'the case and insulated therefrom and having a portion in electrical contact with the other contact of the battery and another portion "thereof disposed to be contacted by the switch'in' one-position thereof for energizing the light bulb, saidswitchbeing movable out of engagement with-the'last mentioned electrical conductor for'd'e-energizing the light bulb, said endless'fllter'or screen 'having a portion disposed between thereflector and lens, and means for manually revolvingrone of the rollers for, moving different portionsofthe filter or screen into'a position in front'of said reflector. r

2. A flashlight as in claim 1, andmeansr'eleasably latching. the container sectioninalfully applied position in the. intermediate compartment of said casefor retaining one of the4contacts of the battery in engagement with the last mentioned case, supported conductorstrip.

NICHOLAS D. GHEORGHIU.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of.record,in'the file of this patent: I r v UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 723,414 Sill l Mar.'24, 1903 921,560, Newman 'May 11, 1909 1,279,820 7 Brassard Sept.'24=, 1918 1,715,884 7 Allen June 4, 1929 1,822,619 *Grossman SeptJS, 1931 1,978,553 Saunders Oct.'30, 1934 2,126,729 "Bugge Aug. 16,1938

2,270,636 Klarfield Jan. 20-, 1942 

